


Love Like That

by StardustDragon



Series: Love Like That [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: First Dates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 06:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7834159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustDragon/pseuds/StardustDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael is sick and tired of one-night stands- he just wants a little romance in his life. Jeremy sets him up on a blind date with Ryan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Like That

**Author's Note:**

> Written to "Love Like That" by Tiffany Houghton.

Michael checks his phone for what feels like the tenth time in as many minutes. His blind date is over half an hour late.

“Anyone who leaves you hanging like that isn’t worth it.”

Michael groans and turns to face the man who has sidled up next to him at the bar.

“I’d come to that conclusion on my own, thanks.”

“No need to be rude, I just wanted to see if you’d like company.”

Michael sighs. “No, thanks.” He grits his teeth, trying to be overly nice to get this guy to leave him alone.

“Aw, come on, baby. I’ll show you a good time.”

“I said no, thank you, now leave me alone,” Michael growls out.

The stranger grabs his wrist and tries to pull him off the chair to drag him to the dance floor. Michael lets his arm go slack for a moment to trick him into believing Michael is coming willingly.

Michael yanks his arm towards his chest without warning and brings up his clenched fist to the guy’s jaw. He goes down without a fight, but looks shocked.

“Touch me again and I’ll break your hand.”

The security at the front of the bar is heading his way, and he holds up his hands.

“Let me pay my tab and I’m out of here.”

\---

Outside, the street is quiet, and Michael pulls out his phone to dial the number his date had given him.

“Hey, it’s Michael. I’m assuming you’re not showing up tonight and, honestly, you don’t need to bother calling me back. Bye.”

He begins the short walk across town to his apartment.

\---

“Don’t let Gavin set me up with anyone again, Jeremy. The dick never showed and then I had to knock some asshole out at the bar because he wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Jeremy laughs on the other end of the phone.

“Noted, Michael.” He pauses like he’s debating with himself over asking his next question. “Did you go home with anyone though?”

“Nah, man. After I clocked that guy I wasn’t feeling it. I’m sick of this one-night stand bullshit. I just want someone to hold my fucking hand, is that too much to ask?”

“Probably, but I’m sure there’s gentlemen left in the world.”

“Too bad you’re married, Dooley. I’d bang that.”

They laugh and talk about trivial topics until Michael has to head into work.

\---

A week passes before he gets on the phone with Jeremy again.

“Hey, I have a proposition for you.”

“If you’re gonna ask me to do something for a million dollars, you’d better have the mill on hand.”

“No, no, no, it’s not that. I think I found someone you might be interested in.”

Michael groans. “This isn’t one of Gavin’s people, is it?”

“Nah, he's good people. An old friend.”

“Fine, when’s the date?”

“Tomorrow night at Valenti’s. Six o’clock. Oh, and wear that black button up with the sky blue tie.”

\---

Michael frets over how he looks for an hour, wanting to make a good impression. Once he’s content, he realizes he’s running later than he’d like, and jogs the six blocks down until he’s at the restaurant.

Jeremy had told him the man would be waiting at the bar in a white button up with a red tie, but Michael sees two men dressed like that. Shit.

Except oh, one of them is chatting up a very attractive woman. Probably not his guy.

The one at the end of the bar is watching a game on TV, hands fiddling with his drink like he’s nervous. Bingo.

Michael bites his lip and heads over to him. When his date realizes someone is walking towards him, he looks up and their eyes meet. Michael is struck- his date is gorgeous.

Oh god, he thinks, he should just turn around and leave. There’s no way he can compete with that.

“Michael?”

“That’s me. You must be Ryan.”

Ryan nods and stands, putting a ten under his drink and making sure the bartender sees it.

“Shall we get a table?”

And oh man, he’s polite to boot. Michael is so fucked.

“Uh, yeah. Let’s.”

Ryan talks to the hostess and lets Michael walk first, like a gentleman. They’re seated in a little booth towards the back of the restaurant. Once they order drinks, neither of them touch the menu for a few minutes.

“You look very nice,” Michael manages to get out. He’s normally not this nervous around people, but this guy is hot.

“Thank you,” Ryan blushes. “You, too. I mean Jeremy was very adamant that you were cute but he didn’t do you justice.”

Great, now it’s Michael’s turn to blush.

“So, Ryan, what do you do?”

They delve into small talk until they realize their shared love of video games. The waitress comes over with their drinks and asks if they’re ready to order. They still haven’t touched their menus, too into their conversation.

When she comes back a few minutes later and takes their order, Ryan is grumbling under his breath about “PC gamer superiority” and Michael is giggling through his words.

They both thank her when she takes their menus, and Michael is impressed. He always pays attention to how someone treats the staff wherever they go- it says a lot about their character.

Michael is usually a bit more reserved on a first date, but they just have so much in common that he can’t seem to hold back. He tries to keep his cussing to a minimum because there’s a family with young children in the booth behind him.

To be fair, he wants to swear because the only reason he knows that is the little kid who keeps kicking the back of the booth.

Dinner goes smoothly, and while they’re waiting for the bill, Ryan tells a story from an old job at a computer repair shop when he was younger. Michael places his hands on the table while he listens.

Ryan reaches out with one hand while his other is gesturing to make a point. Michael is now keenly aware of where their hands are intertwined, but the contact feels nice.

Finally, the bill comes, and Ryan lets go of his hand to grab it and reach for his wallet.

Michael puts up a bit of a fight to pay his half, but Ryan refuses.

“You can pay for the next one.”

Michael grins, unable to hold it back. “Oh, so you think there’s gonna be a second date, huh?”

Ryan hums like he’s thinking about it, then leans across the table and speaks in a lower octave than he has all night. “Oh, I’m pretty sure of it.”

Michael raises his eyebrows, but he can’t deny the feeling that went through him at that voice.

The waitress brings Ryan’s card and receipt back, and Michael watches him tip her more than 20%. God damn, Jeremy did well.

“So,” Ryan starts once they’re outside the restaurant. “I feel like I should tell you the truth about how Jeremy told me about you.”

Michael hums for him to go on.

“I was bitching because I got stood up at dinner a couple weeks ago, and he told me about how you also got stood up. Apparently Jeremy is a good person to confide in. Anyway,” Ryan pauses and takes Michael’s hand in his and leads him down the sidewalk. “So he starts telling me about this guy he thinks would be perfect because he knows I’m a romantic at heart.”

Michael chuckles at this.

“Seriously, you should know I’m a sucker for romance.”

“Me, too,” Michael admits with a one-shouldered shrug so he doesn’t jostle Ryan’s hand.

Ryan smiles at him. “I know. I believe he said your exact words were, ‘I just want someone to hold my fucking hand, is that too much to ask for?’”

Michael’s face heats up, but he nods. “Yeah, that’s about right.” He mumbles under his breath about Jeremy being fucking embarrassing, and Ryan laughs.

“It’s cute. You’re cute.”

Michael wrinkles up his nose and makes a face in an effort to buy himself time to think of a reply. He’s never good with this kind of stuff.

Ryan’s phone goes off in his pocket, and he glances at the number before giving Michael a quick apology and taking it. He lets go of Michael’s hand and takes a few steps away, but the street is quiet and Michael can hear his end of the conversation pretty clearly.

“Hey, Beth, is everything okay?” There’s a long pause as he listens to Beth respond. “Okay, give her two ibuprofen and a full glass of water. Make sure she drinks it all. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“I’m so sorry, Michael,” Ryan starts with a guilty look.

Michael shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. Can I help with anything?”

“No, but thank you. I’ll call you, okay? We can set up that second date.”

“Looking forward to it,” Michael grins.

Ryan suddenly steps into his space and Michael realizes how much taller the man is when he’s towering over him like this.

He reaches up a hand to cup Michael’s cheek and leans in for a chaste kiss.

“Good night,” Ryan says when they part.

“Good night,” Michael echos.

He starts the walk home and it isn’t until he’s inside his apartment that he realizes he still has a goofy smile on his face.

He can’t wait for Ryan to call.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> Let me know what you think! I might try and write a follow-up where we meet the person Beth was watching for Ryan.


End file.
